Mankind’s greatest problem is not poverty or the unequal distribution of resources. It is not the prevalence of disease. It is not even the pursuit of peace which seems to elude each generation. No, mankind’s greatest problem is separation from God because of sin. God is holy and righteous. There is no evil in Him. Evil cannot remain in His presence. When we sin; when we do evil, it separates us from God and we cannot enter His presence.
How can this gap between our holy God and we sinners be bridged? We need a priest to intercede for us. We need a priest to present an offering of atonement for our sin. The inspired book of Hebrews in the Bible assures us that God has appointed Jesus Christ as our priest. Jesus is sinless so He can come into God’s presence. During His life on the earth He also experienced the same things we do. Therefore He is able to understand and sympathize with our difficulties. This qualifies Him to intercede on our behalf. He also offered His own life as a sacrifice for us to reconcile us to God.
However, this raises a question. God had already established a priesthood in the Law of Moses. According to the Law, priests were to come from the tribe of Levi. How can Jesus be our priest since He does not belong to that tribe? The answer is that Jesus does not belong to the priesthood established under the Law of Moses. Instead He is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. Chapter 7 of the book of Hebrews points out that Melchizedek is much greater than Abraham and his descendant Levi. Therefore, Jesus’ priesthood is also greater than that of Levi and the Mosaic Law.
But why do we need a greater priesthood? Why did God make the change? Chapter 7, verses 11 through 22 explains, “Now if there were perfection through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people have received the law), what further need was there for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made also in the law. For he of whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord has sprung out of Judah, about which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
This is yet more abundantly evident, if after the likeness of Melchizedek there arises another priest, who has been made, not after the law of a fleshly commandment, but after the power of an
endless life: for it is testified, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” For there is an annulling of a foregoing commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Inasmuch as he was not made priest without the taking of an oath (for they indeed have been made priests without an oath), but he with an oath by him that says of him, “The Lord swore and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.’” By so much, Jesus has become the collateral of a better covenant.”
One of the problems with the Law of Moses was that it made nothing perfect. This is not to say that the Law was not good. It was. God gave it and it accomplished what God intended it to do. The Apostle Paul writes, “So, then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.” (Romans 7:12 NIV) The purpose of the Law was to identify sin and to demonstrate that we are incapable of living by God’s standards.
Though the Law identified our faults, it cannot correct them. Though the Law appointed a priesthood to offer sacrifices for sin, the book of Hebrews explains in later chapters that those sacrifices were not sufficient, they only delayed or put off the consequences of sin. They were like a promissory note which promised payment at a later time. Only in Jesus is our debt to God satisfied. Only Jesus was able to pay the price the Law demands for sin. So, Jesus became the perfect priest for both those under the Law of Moses and those who are not.
It was the Law of Moses which established and regulated the Levitical priesthood. However, Jesus is not a descendant of Levi. He does not trace his human ancestry through the first priest Aaron. Instead, Jesus comes from the tribe of Judah, in the line of King David. Since this is the case, it means that Jesus is our priest on the basis of something different than the Law of Moses. As Hebrews points out, if there has been a change in priesthood, there has also been a change in the underlying law or principle which establishes that priesthood.
What is that principle? On what basis did God make Jesus our priest? Those who became priests under the Law of Moses did so because of their ancestry, but Jesus has become our priest on the basis of His indestructible life. The writer of Hebrews quotes from Psalm 110 to establish this fact. There God declares that Jesus is a priest forever. By this declaration, God has set aside the Law of Moses and its priesthood and introduced a priesthood which will last forever. From this we see that all those who try to be reconciled to God through the Law, or any system which depends on human effort, are placing their hope on something which is no longer in effect. Jesus has fulfilled the Law. It has served its purpose. God has replaced it with something which can make us perfect, which the Law could never do. Because Jesus lives forever and His priesthood lasts forever, we have a better hope. When we place our hope in Jesus Christ, whom God has appointed our priest forever, it enables us to draw near to God. Do you have this hope? Are you able to come before the throne of God with confidence?
There is another difference between the priesthood established by the Law of Moses and that of Jesus. The descendants of Levi and Aaron became priests without any oath. But God appointed Jesus Christ as a priest by an oath. The writer of Hebrews again refers to Psalm 110 to establish this fact.
What is the significance of God’s oath? An oath is given in order to guarantee something. It confirms what is said. In this case, Jesus became a priest through God’s oath. Therefore Jesus, is the guarantee of the covenant which God makes with those who follow Jesus. This covenant is far superior to the covenant which God made with the Israelites through the Law of Moses.